³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. ⁵For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. (2 Cor. 1:3-5)

The 40-day season of Lent is a time of letting go; letting go of a habitual behavior that chips away at your time, your health and your relationship with God and others. Letting go can be a scary thing. We may not know how to let go.

In A Call to Holy Living, Bruce Larson writes:

Having made that initial faith commitment, the next step is repentance. That’s an old-fashioned word that seems unfamiliar and somewhat threatening these days, but it’s simple enough. I once heard a story of how they used to catch monkeys. Narrow-necked bottles full of colored marbles were staked out in a clearing in the jungle. Monkeys, curious beings that they are, would soon appear and stick their hands into those bottles to grab a fistful of those interesting objects. They couldn’t get their hands out without letting go of the marbles, which they were unwilling to do. And so the hunters would simply snatch them up and put them in the cages. Repentance requires letting go of all the destructive and counterproductive things in our lives. Jesus tells us to let go of those things we’re hanging onto so tightly and follow Him. You have to take your hand out of the bottle if you are to be free to respond.

In letting go you may feel frightened and alone, as if no one else can begin to know how hard it is for you. Do not be afraid. You are not alone. As special as you are, your behavior is not unique, therefore, you are not alone. God, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort is walking with you, and, there are others who are facing the same path of repentance you are.

In your Lenten letting go, as you loosen your grip on certain behaviors, some days will be harder than others. On those hard days remember that others share in your suffering. On those days that seem oasis-like, support those others in prayer. And in all you do give thanks for God’s desert compassion and the prayers of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Sue